Tutorial: Ombre Cat Eyeliner

I've been experimenting with eyeliner techniques and colors, especially since colored eyeliners are quite becoming more "in." I still love my black and browns, which have been staples in my makeup bag, but sometimes, it's nice to have a pop of color once in a while. On its own, it's a statement without eyeshadow, giving you a nice, edgy look. I usually use this technique when I need to go to an event after a workout session and I don't really want to bring brushes and all.

In this tutorial, I have a two-toned ombre cat eyeliner using the classic black and plum eyeliner. The cat eye starts off first as plum then wings out to black in the end. It's subdued enough to be worn in weddings or formal events yet it's got an interesting twist to it. You can use the eyeliner technique alone without eyeshadow but if you want to use eyeshadow or a full face of makeup either you feel inspired to put on makeup today or you just want to feel better, check this tutorial out. The warm gold scheme of the eye color contrasts well with the plum eyeliner so the plum stands out because otherwise, nonsense. Maybe you can't use this for your passport photo, but for a wedding, maybe.

Plum gel liner adds a different twist to an otherwise classic look

What You Need:
(I indicated the brands I used in the parenthesis. Feel free to use other brands of your own preference)

• Eyeshadows (Urban Decay Naked Smokey Palette)
• Black Eyeliner (L'Oreal Superliner Superstar)
• Purple/Plum eyeliner (MAC Fluidline in Looking Good)
• Black Pencil Eyeliner (Urban Decay24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion)
• Charcoal Pencil Eyeliner (Eye of Hours eye pencil in Charcoal Obsidian)
• Eyeshadow primer (NYX Eyeshadow base)

(Note: I did already my base, brows, contour, cheek color, and lip color here, so let's go straight to shadow)

Step 1: Apply eyeshadow primer from lashline to browbone.

Step 2: Apply a light contour color on the crease (UD Combust)

Step 3: Dab a shimmery golden color on the lid (UD Dirtysweet)

Step 4: On the outer 1/3 of the eye, apply a darker color with the same shimmery finish as the lid color (UD Radar)

Step 5: Smoke things out by applying a dark gray-black or black color on the outer V of the eye (UD Black Market)

Step 6: Line the bottom liner with charcoal pencil and set this with the same color you used on the outer V. Highlight the browbone and inner corners of the eyes with a bone-colored color (UD Thirteen). Blend the life out of the edges for nice, even transitions.

 Step 7: Tightline the upper lashlines with black eye pencil. Blend and smudge to slightly "smoke" it out.

Step 8: Use a purple eyeliner to line the top lashline, stopping until just before the outer corner.

Step 9: Go over where you ended the purple eyeliner with the black eyeliner and continue on lining the eyes and "flick" out the wing."

Step 10: Your eye liner should look like this: Starting off as purple, then ending with a black wing tip. If you want, lightly blend the transition between the purple and the black so you get a nice, blended ombre effect.

Finish off your look with some mascara on curled lashes. Apply falsies if desired. Finished!

Take this look to your next event or party. It's a way to introduce colored liners to your makeup kit, accompanying them with a basic black or charcoal and an otherwise neutral eye. The wing tip does take a lot of challenge getting even and I really took a long time there. If you have any wing tip tricks  to get both sides even, do leave them in the comments below.  Enjoy this new look for the new year!


Store Directory:

Eye Of Horus
Available at Purbeauty, Landmark, and SM Department stores; available at glamourbox.com, and beautymnl.com; facebook.com/eyeofhorusph; instagram.com/eyeofhorusph

L'Oreal Paris
Available at all leading groceries, beauty hubs, and department stores nationwide; lorealparis.com; lorealparisexclusif.ph; facebook.com/LOrealParisPhilippines

NYX
available at leading department stores; nyxcosmetics.com; facebook.com/nyxcosmeticsph

MAC

click here for a complete list of stores; maccosmetics.com; rustans-thebeautysource.com; maccosmetics.com.ph; facebook.com/MACcosmetics

Urban Decay
urbandecay.com; facebook.com/urbandecayglobal; instagram.com/urbandecaycosmetics

Nude Lipsticks to Love

I'm a lipstick and brow product junkie. Even without a full face of makeup - brows, lipstick, and a bit of powder on the T-zone is my super quick go-to look when I need to look more human without going over-the-top. I'm always on the lookout for nice brow products and I collect lipsticks of almost every color. I've lost count of how many lipsticks I own, both for personal and gig use.

I'm afraid of wearing nude lipsticks on their own because I always thought I'd look dead. If I do wear nude lipstick, it;s usually with a very heavy or dramatic smokey eye or cat eye. Fortunately, nude lipstick doesn't necessarily mean looking dead. There are also nude lippies which give a nice and clean look to the face, or a my-lips-but-better natural look. No need for heavy smokey eyes for some. They look great just like that or with help of eyeliner and mascara, just for more definition.

Some of my favorite nudes

1. NYX soft matte lip creme in Abu Dhabi 

I discovered this a couple of months ago when my friend Jinky and I were shopping for makeup at SM. This pretty nude shade looked great on me and the brown isn't too muddy.

wearing Abu Dhabi during a cat cafe visit

The liquid dries matte and doesn't budge or feather too much. Also, it's quite blendable with other lipliner colors.

2. Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Matte Lippie in Too Cool

 This is a limited edition lipstick that is actually a collaboration between the brand and Preview magazine for Preview's 20th anniversary. Such a pretty color that's not drying and also it's super pigmented. It may be pale and almost skin tone on swatch, but I actually like wearing it with just me defining my brows and powder on my T-zone.

3. MAC lipstick in Hug Me

This is one of MAC's lustre finishes that I like. Hug Me is an awesome sheer shade that photographs well in beauty shoots. I use this for ladies who are scared of a bit of color on their lips. In shoots, I layer this with a neutral mauve lipstick for a nice, natural my-lips-but-better look.

4. Revlon Lipstick in Pink Cognito

I got this in our August BDJ Elite Box along with an array of other Revlon goodies. Glides like butter and gives a nice rosey shine without looking too psychedelic. Use this on your own or as a gloss. There's a bit of reflective particles and for some who would want more coverage, I suggest using a lipliner for this.

5. MAC Lipstick in Blankety 

This is pale as pale as can be, almost white on swatch. I know others can wear this on their own and it looks fine on them. Since this is a super pale lipstick in a nice creme finish, I go heavy on my eye makeup wearing this, so the look isn't too lost and I don't look like I need a blood transfusion. I also wear this with lipliner since it's not too pigmented like Too Cool. But it's a really pretty shade if you're going for the 60s sex kitten look or Victoria's Secret smokey-eyed model.

6. Fashion 21 lipstick in Ginger

Fantastic color payoff without sacrificing moisture quality. It looks great on my lips with a hint of coral and neutral brown. I used to be scared of browns because I thought it makes me look muddy but it actually worked on me. Also, it's super cheap. I can take this to travels as well, since it's such a nice warm neutral color to wear for everyday. I should steer this from higher temperatures though because it's prone to melting. Or maybe, I can depot this to a lip palette.

Any lipstick that you would like to  share?